Part 13 (1/2)

Moira shook her head and stubbed out her cigarette in a small gla.s.s ashtray. There were five or six others in it. *Yeah, sure, any time. Sure, why don't you walk down the hill with us, and tell me what you'll need?'

*Yeah. Great. If you don't mind.'

*Not at all,' Moira said.

I winked down at Christine.

Christine turned her face up to her mother. *He has a hedgehog,' she said.

Moira lit another cigarette as we left the churchyard and began descending the hill towards the harbour. Christine skipped happily in front of us. Flynn remained at the church.

*You look a little pale,' Moira said.

I felt a little pale. Unexpected references to small spiky animals tend to do that to me. I looked up at the sky. *We writers don't get to see much of the sun. We spend a lot of time in darkened rooms.'

*You must work very hard.'

*No, generally we just spend a lot of time in darkened rooms.' Moira smiled politely. I nodded at Christine. *She seems a very happy wee girl.'

*She is.'

*Of course, she should be, seeing as how she's the daughter of G.o.d.'

Moira stopped. *I thought you might be taking that line.'

*What line?'

*The cynical line.'

*Who mentioned cynical?'

*You don't have to mention it. It's an att.i.tude. It's written all over you.'

I shrugged as nonchalantly as the situation allowed. I would have to do something to combat the cynicism. It wouldn't do my cause any good. I wanted to get on with these people. I might one day want to shamelessly exploit them for large amounts of cash.

*I'm sorry,' I said, *I'm afraid it tends to go with the territory. I'm trying to develop an open mind. Any help you can give me would be much appreciated. And remember, when this gets out, it won't just be one cynic like me you'll have to contend with a there's millions of them out there. And that's just in Belfast.'

Moira flicked her cigarette b.u.t.t out into the road. *We'll see,' she said simply. We started walking again. *So what will you be wanting to know?'

*Everything, I suppose. Everything you're prepared to tell me. Are you prepared to tell me everything?'

*Frank seems to trust you. I don't see why not.'

*Good. Much appreciated. I'm not really that bad. What about your husband, will he . . .?'

*What husband?'

*Oh.'

*Oh . . . what?'

*Oh, nothing. I . . .'

*You just presumed.'

*I just . . .'

*This is the twentieth century, y'know . . .'

*What, on Wrathlin? Are you sure?'

She smiled. *Okay, fair point, but . . .'

I pointed skywards. *You mean He's the only . . .'

*Mr Starkey . . .'

*Dan . . . please.'

*Dan . . . Christine was conceived during a time when I was having a relations.h.i.+p with a man on this island. A single man. That relations.h.i.+p is now over. Somewhere along the line G.o.d got involved, and I bore His child. I don't know the whys or the hows or the biology . . . I didn't feel the earth move . . . the heavens didn't split open and bathe me in angelic light . . . but I know as sure as I'm standing here that Christine is G.o.d's child and I will do everything within my power to protect her, to bring her up properly until the time comes for her to inherit the . . .' She cut herself off, laughed lightly, almost embarra.s.sed.

*The earth,' I said, and gave her a little smile. I tried not to make it seem too cynical. *And when do you think that might be?'

*I have no idea. At the moment she's just a perfectly ordinary little girl . . .'

*Although she's done a few mirkles.'

*. . . just a perfectly ordinary little girl who happens to have performed a few miracles . . . just a perfectly ordinary little girl who has no real idea of her own destiny, of her own potential . . .'

*But when . . .'

*Dan, there's no timetable for things like this. It's only happened once before, and we messed it up then. Frank thinks we might see her coming into her own around about the time of p.u.b.erty. Girls grow up so much more quickly than boys.'

*It could be one h.e.l.l of a first period then.'

*If you wish to reduce it to that level, well, yes, it could.'

Christine was out on the road now, kicking her sandalled feet through the gravel.

*Ma,' she called, *come 'n' play.'

*Get off the road then. What have I told you about playing on the road?'

I stepped off the path and reached a hand out to her. She stepped back and kicked some gravel at me.

*That's not very nice, now, is it?' I said.